Izmir is high on the fun quotient, with beautiful beaches, cable car rides and yacht marinas

It was a refrain we heard at every meal during our trip to Izmir. One of my fellow travellers would sit down and say: “One Adana kebab please.”

The conversation would then proceed: “Not spinach borek?”

“Adana kebab”

“Not fasulye beans?”

“Adana kebab”

It goes without saying that he was completely sold on the Turkish delicacy from the moment we landed in the city. Still, there’s no denying the magic of a superbly-grilled column of minced meat presented on a bed of charred green peppers, butter-tossed grains and crusty bread. By the end of our trip, everyone was ordering Adana whenever a Turkish lokanta — pre-made meal joint — loomed on the horizon.

Izmir is many things to many people and food is just of one of its multiple attractions. In its golden era, the metropolis, on the western edge of Anatolia, was home to martial races like the Ionians, Lydians, Persians, Greeks, Arabs and Seljuks. Fringed by 629km of the Aegean’s cobalt coastline, it’s a city steeped in history.

Numerous sculptures unearthed during various excavations are now housed in the Ephesus museum

Thanks to our guide Shukran Arsalan, our itinerary was meticulously designed, down to the last detail. At 6am sharp, we checked into the Crowne Plaza Hotel just as the city was rubbing sleep from its eyes. From the 13th floor, the Aegean stretched out like a beautiful blue sheet.

Shukran quickly trotted us off to the historic city centre, Konak Square, where thousands of pigeons swooped down on the Izmir Clock Tower and shoppers milled around aiming to attain retail nirvana. The tower is constructed from stone slabs interspersed with lead and iron, perfect to resist the slew of earthquakes striking a seismically-active zone. I was eager to take a closer look at the clock, a gift from Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany to Sultan Abdulhamit II of the Ottoman Empire.

The origins of Izmir are lost in the hazy past. Locals believe the coastal metropolis, then called Smyrna, was founded by the Amazons, the celebrated female warriors. Another popular legend has the Leleges and Kalls (inhabitants of the western coasts of Asia Minor) dropping anchor at Tepekule in the first half of 3000 BC. But forget about its hoary past because this city has reinvented itself faster than you can say Turkish delight.

Modern Izmir has outstanding retail addresses, restaurants, beaches, cable car rides and yacht marinas. Shopping hangouts like the Konak Pier are as vibrant as any European marketplace where the swish set pours in after dusk. It’s a former warehouse built on a pier that has been turned into a mall that’s chock-full of fashion outlets, multiplexes, cosy bookstores and alfresco cafés. For us, it was magical to sit by the pier, cradling cups of coffee and watching the wind whip up the surf.

The clock mounted on the Izmir Clock tower was a gift from Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany to Sultan Abdulhamit II of the Ottoman Empire

According to geographer Strabo, Izmir was only rivalled in beauty by Ephesus in the ancient world. So, the next day after a breakfast of kaimak — Turkey’s rich clotted cream — slathered on pillowy muffins, we plunged into the belching city traffic and headed for Ephesus.

It isn’t tough to figure why 1.5 million tourists put Ephesus, the ancient Roman city, on their itineraries annually. The landscape is crammed with relics of thriving cities, temples, cathedrals and marketplaces. The biggest highlight is the excavation site of the pre-Roman city of Ephesus built in 300 BC by Lysimachus, one of Alexander the Great’s generals.

The site is a clutch of paved alleys that radiate out of the grand public square lined with theatres, libraries, municipal palaces, imperial and shrines. Curetes Street, the city’s main avenue was swamped by coach-loads of tourists. We marvelled at the magnetic draw of the Hercules Gate, the temple of Roma and a delicate relief of Nike, goddess of victory.

Ambling past fig trees laden with succulent fruit, we made our way to the Grand Theatre, a semi-circular Hellenistic Period structure. The theatre used to seat 24,000 people for gladiator fights. More tamely, we watched actors toting medieval weapons who regaled the audience. An hour later, the performers, still in full Roman regalia, posed for photographs while still talking into their cell phones.

Virgin Mary is thought to have spent her last days in Ephesus

One of our most memorable meals was at the Asansor restaurant reached by travelling up a century-old passenger elevator that slides up a rock face. The atmospheric eatery pulls in huge crowds with its multi-course gourmet spread coupled with fantastic views of Izmir’s bay area.

Izmir, like most Turkish cities, straddles the ancient and modern worlds seamlessly. It’s a place which has something for every tourist. I snapped up bottles of freshly-pressed olive oil, vibrant ceramic-ware and pouches of Izmir’s fabled hazel nuts and raisins. And long after the trip was over, the flavour of the city lingered, much like its raisins.

TRAVEL LOG

Getting there: You can take a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul from New Delhi. From Istanbul take a connecting flight to Izmir.

Where to stay: We stayed at Crowne Plaza Hotel but there are plenty of options.